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Salad/Story
Fondness Story I. Snowy Day My Master Attendant once told me that I don't need to grow up, and I don't need to be brave. So I figured I would stay there. My Master Attendant and I had always lived in the mountains above the border to the snowy plains. Although we didn't get blizzards, the weather was always cool because of the proximity to the plains. My Master Attendant and I lived in a small wooden cottage on the mountain, but we lived comfortably. Maybe too comfortably, because when my Master Attendant left I didn't even realize it, I couldn't see him anymore. I buried him at the cottage; there was a vegetable garden he had planted with his own hands. That used to be his favorite place. And now it was my favorite. The first time I saw the fine snow my Master Attendant had told me about, it was drifting down. The back of the mountain was dyed white, and it became even more obvious that there was no one else on the mountains. I liked that kind of world, it made me feel at peace. I was sitting in a big bamboo basket in the corner of the cottage, my head buried between my knees. "Are you the only one here?" A strange voice pulled me out of a world of silence "Uh...huh..." I saw a girl with blonde hair and a green dress, her smile warm enough to melt the snow. This was my first conversation with someone other than my Master Attendant, and my anxiety made my voice tremble. "Don't be afraid, I was just passing by. My name is Yogurt, I'm a Food Soul, like you." "Food Soul?" "Right, I'm a Food Soul who was summoned by my Master Attendant." "You're also...my Master Attendant'S Food Soul?" "My Master Attendant and your Master Attendant aren't the same people." "Then your...Master Attendant?" "He's gone to the same place as yours." Yogurt said with a smile. "You can't be with your Master Attendant either?" "Right." "Oh? Aren't I unable to stay with my Master Attendant any longer because I haven't grown up?" "That's because I'm the same as you, I can't grow up." I don't know why, but even thought she was obviously smiling I felt like she wasn't happy. "The snow's already stopped~" "So it has..." "I should get going too. Say, would you like to travel with me?" "I...I can't leave..." I was afraid to leave, for some reason I had become afraid of the outside world. I couldn't help by lower my head and hold myself tighter as we spoke. "You don't need to be afraid...I was just thinking that, if you're willing, I could look after you." While Yogurt spoke she gently stroked my hair, just like my Master Attendant used to do. Suddenly her hands were gone and the warm feeling in my heart vanished for some reason. When I snapped out of it, I was holding Yogurt's sleeve. "That...that...My name is Salad. Can I...stay...with you?" For a moment it was difficult for me to form complete sentences, and I wasn't sure whether Yogurt understood what I was saying. "Sure, let's go" Yogurt smiled and nodded at me. Her smile was mixed with the sunshine and the scent of flowers. I don't know when it had happened, but the sun had burst through the clouds and melted the traces of snow on the ground. II. A Step Away omewhere in a mountain forest. This was where Yogurt and I had come after leaving the mountains above the border to the snowy plains. In a flash night had fallen, but we thought we could find a place to rest. "Yogurt, why didn't you say where you used to live with your master attendant?" "Probably because we never really stayed in one place. so i enjoy a life with a bit more freedom." "Is that so?" "However, there is someone i would very much like to see again" Yogurt's face looked very lonely at that moment. "Someone besides your Master Attendant?" "Mmhm, she's the most important person in the world to my master attendant." "Then do you want to go see her?" "Sure, but there's something I want to do first." "Something you want to do...wonderful! I've never thought I might do something!" "It's not all that wonderful. I'm lucky, you know, to have met you." ...... The night had gotten completely dark while Yogurt and I were speaking. There was a rustling sound in the bushes. "Oh! I think there's something there." I nervously drew closer to yogurt. "It's nothing, its probably just some animal." Yogurt patted my shoulder as though she were comforting me. "Let's walk a little faster, it'll be a hassle if we happen to run into a pack of wolves." "Pack of wolves?" I felt Yogurt's hand on my shoulder tremble slightly. "Are those black things with red eyes wolves? "Damn, it looks like we've been discovered." Yogurt muttered under her breath, but i still heard her. "You stay here for now, I'll lead it away." After i hid behind a tree, no doubts in my mind, Yogurt ran off in another direction. I wanted to call out for Yogurt and tell her not to go, but for some reason i found myself unable to make a sound. The black unknown creature was like a fire and grew into a giant in a moment. It's bright red eyes and crooked teeth froze me to my spot. "What is that? A monster?" The things that happened before my eyes shook me to my core. All i knew at that time was that this thing didn't belong in this world. Yogurt ran to a spot behind the monster. It seemed slower now, probably because it had grown so large. In a moment Yogurt was in it's blind spot. Yogurt calmly sprinkled a milk-white liquid around her, and it flowed in the air around her. I saw Yogurt wave her hand and then the liquid was smashing agianst the monster like a ton of bricks. The parts that were struck by the liquid styarted smoking like it has been burned; it roared with anger, violently brandishing its claws. In its fury it came at Yogurt, and in an instant she was crashing awkwardly against a tree. All i could do was cower in the corner and wait. That's what I thought, that's what i had always done. As long as I stayed undiscovered where i was, I could stay alive. My Master Attendant has said i didn't need to be brave, I only needed to... Oh? What did i need to do? There was clearly nothing i could do... Yogurt was surrounded by a milky-white circle of light, but even so she still had the disadvantage of being under attack. I looked at Yogurt, covered with wounds, and felt something i had never felt before suppressing my fears. The black shape broke through the circle of light covering Yogurt; Then my feet, seemingly fettered just a moment ago, started moving on their own... "Don't hurt her!" For the first time my heart shouted out for all it was worth. However, my body, leaning forward, started falling over. My feet had tripped over my own basket, so i fell to the ground. THUNK- For a moment my world sunk into darkness. Oh? No i couldn't have possibly have made such a loud noise! III. First Whispers The ground trembled. I pushed myself up, intending to open my eyes and see what was going on. The woods were filled with a cloud of smoke and dust and i couldn't see anything. I could only dimly make out a huge broken rock lying on top of the monster's body, but i couldn't find any sign of Yogurt. Suddenly my body felt light, as though I was floating in the air. I unconsciously reached out to grab my bamboo basket, but it appeared that I was being carried away basket and all. No matter how much I struggled against the hands holding me I couldn't escape. "Stop squirming or I'm going to drop you." "Yogurt?!" "She's here too." The voice was low and cold, but it had saved us. As we made our way away from the "battlefield" my vision gradually cleared. I was still in a pretty sorry situation, being carried along in the arms of a strange man dressed in black, Yogurt carefully slung over his shoulder. The night was pitch black now, as dark as the man's inky hair. Before long the man has brought Yogurt and I to a simple but elegant courtyard surrounded on all sides by houses. The man in black laid us both down on the walkway leading to the courtyard's south-facing house, the quietly said to us: "Wait here for now..." "Yogurt...how...how is she?" "She's fine." "But she was so badly wounded..." I ran up to Yogurt; she was still unconscious. Food Souls aren't like humans, after a long time they don't die, they simply dissipate. However, besides that they really aren't that different from humans, and they can still feel and suffer. "Didn't you just rescue her?" He said to me and the walked away. "Wha...? I...me?" I hadn't done anything but stumble. I stared blankly at Yogurt, but i had no idea what to do. I laid my hand gently on hers, imitating what my Master Used to do when i was hurt. "Are...are you awake?" The hand I held twitched twice, the Yogurt tiredly opened her eyes; her face however, still overflowed with her usual smile. "Does it hurt anywhere?" I asked worriedly. "No, i'm fine." "I'm sorry I...I couldn't do anything to help you." I said to Yogurt with a sob. "I was sure the Fallen Angel was going to hurt me, but then i felt myself protected by some warm force." As Yogurt said this she tightly grasped my hand. "It was so warm! It was as warm as you, Salad." "Do you really not know about your special abilities as a food soul?" The man in black had returned, something white I didn't recognize floating along behind him. "Abilities?...Um..Oh!" I was thinking about what he has said, when i was startled by the white creature that had drawn close to me. "So...Sorry" "Tonwon, come back." As soon as the man in black spoke the white Tonwon obediently circled around him. "Just now you were protecting Yogurt, so i took advantage of the opportunity to take care of that Fallen Angel." The man in black said so in a very self-righteous tone. "So you don't need to worry." "But I...I didn't do anything..." "Oh?" The man in black looked at me, sighed, then continued after a moment of silence; "You can protect your companions, isn't that enough for you?" It was like something had touched my heart, and for a long time the mans's words echoed in my ears. While the man was clearly talking about some pretty serious matters, the erratic Tonwon would always drift in front of his face at the most inappropriate moment. "You'd better give me some space." His previously cold voice was showing a little anger. "Ahaha...I'm just kidding, no need to get angry Torto." The voice was lazy with a hint of a smile, but i still hadn't seen it's owner. "Tsk." Torto quietly made a noise, the helped Yogurt to her feet, "Follow me and rest for a while." "Careful you keep scowling like that you're going to get wrinkles~" IV. Sanssouci Place "Welcome to the Forget-Your-Worries Inn~" I had just entered the room when i was met by this voice. Tonwon, floating around Torto just a moment ago, suddenly vanished into thin air. The figure that then appeared in front of me felt like the exact opposite of Torto. Large white robes were hung loosely from a slender frame, and the casual black pattern looked even more careless. "I didn't expect you to bring back two~" The man in white wore a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. He just kept staring at me as he spoke. "Weren't you frightened? After all, that chunk of wood is very thick." "No...not...actually...we were rescued..." Even though i really had been frightened. "However, compared to you this one looked a lot more badly wounded." He seemed to have lost interest in me so he moved on to Yogurt. "Oh? Her wounds have already nearly healed, it really is convenient having a food soul around who can heal." "Wonton, what you just said was very rude." Torto said coldly, standing to one side. "Don't you think? Obviously no one staying here can do it. It's not bad if they can stay here for a few days...It's just like like Long Bao and the rest of that lot." Looking at it this way, it's not like he was lying. "Huh?" The words startled me. "I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I'm the proprietor of this fine establishment, my name is Wonton. This is my cute little Tonwon, and the pitch-black piece of wood is Torto." Wonton relaxed into a wooden lounge chair, casually propping himself up. "I'm only too glad to help you, if I can. I started traveling so I can help more people. That's why i can't stay here. I want more people to have more time in good health to spend with those who are important to them." Yogurt's smile was plastered to her face. "So that's the way it is. That's really too bad." "Someone like you who just does whatever you feel like could never understand" Torto didn't care at all for Wonton's careless words. "You're the same way, you just love to lecture people." Wonton was all smiles as he spoke. "Compared to them, I'm more curious how a food soul completely lacking in self awareness like you manages to survive in the world." In an instant the smile was gone from Wonton's eyes. "Haha. However, if you stay here it's good for us. Isn't it good for you as well?" "Stay here? I lowered my head timidly. I knew that I lacked Yogurt's ambition, to say nothing of Torto's strength. I didn't even know what it is I wanted to do. And I didn't even know what sort of terrible things were outside. Thinking this, I remembered the monster they had called a "Fallen Angel" and I couldn't help but shudder. "Anyone can see that Yogurt and I are different, and there's no pursuit." Wonton's words had frozen my heart in an instant. If that's what I'm like, why should I continue on this long journey with Yogurt? If it was just because I was afraid of being alone, I could stay here instead... I looked aside at Yogurt. She wasn't saying anything, just watching me watch her with her usual smile on her face. "You can protect your companion, isn't that enough for you?" I suddenly remembered the words Torto had spoken to me. "I...really am useless, I can't do anything, and there isn't even anything I want to do. Even so, Yogurt always repays me with her smiles. So...if...I...can protect my companion...I would like to keep traveling with Yogurt." At this point my mind was completely blank. When Yogurt said that was very lucky to have met me, I was thrilled. I hoped that she would never look lonely again. I of all people knew how hard it was to be alone. "Well, if that's what you really want." Torto seemed to be encouraging me, slapping my shoulder. "With a heart like that, I'm sure you'll grow up into who you really want to be." "Th...thank you..." I thanked Torto, half bowing but so nervous I had trouble speaking. "Yawn, this is really dull. Go ahead and do whatever you like." Wonton said as he and Tonwon left together. "Is he...angry?" "Don't worry about him, he really is just trying to kill time." It seemed like Wonton was the only thing Torto would explain any feeling towards. "It's already late, you should rest." "Think you so much for everything today." I don't know whether he heard me, but it was the only way I had to express what I was feeling. Half the night had already passed. No longer worried about the future, I was looking forward to a new beginning. V. Salad Inside the Forget-Your-Worries Inn. "Torto, have you seen Crabby?" A light-haired youth rushed past Salad and ran straight up to Torto. "I haven't." Torto responded, sweeping up the ground of the courtyard. "Oh~I just made some new tea for him~" Salad could see the disappointment on his face. "Are you new here?" A cute face suddenly appeared in front of Salad's own. "Uh-huh, my name is...Salad." "Hey hey~My name's Longbao! Oh! Do you want to try the tea I made? It's really good!" Longbao asked as he placed the cup of tea in front of her. "Uh..." Looking at Longbao's expectant face Salad felt awkward refusing, so she accept the cup. "Hang on..." Torto suddenly looked up. An almost bitter flavor rose into Salad's mouth; she'd never tasted this type of tea before. "How is it? Is it good?" Longbao's bright, innocuous smile couldn't wipe away the irritating flavor. "Yeah, it's really good!" "Great! I've finally succeeded!" Longbao danced with joy and then ran away; Torto, who had seen the whole thing, could only cover his face. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine...It's really good, the flavor is just a little...heavy." Salad said in a voice that was a little hoarse. "Don't show off." Torto sighed deeply. "You look weak, but maybe your personality is stronger than you look." "Oh?" "Don't be nervous, it's a compliment." Torto looked like he might be smiling. Or maybe not. "Uh...huh. Thank you?" Even though she was pleased by the unexpected praise, she still wasn't sure how to react. "Smash————" There was a crisp sound like a teacup being broken. "Longbao! What did you put in the tea in the lobby?!" "You're really a piece of work, always causing trouble." Torto's faint hint of a smile was replaced with sadness; he massaged his temples tiredly, placed the broom in a corner of the courtyard, then headed towards the room with the commotion. "I hope I can help him out." Salad said to herself as she watched the dark figure walk away. Late at night. The early spring still carried a slight chill. Salad took advantage of the darkness to sneak out of her room and visit the courtyard. "The peach blossoms are blooming early this year." Crabby sat alone beneath a peach tree in the middle of the courtyard. "Did you come to watch the blossoms too?" "Uh...N...no..." Salad responded timidly, clutching a basket in her hands. "Not exactly..." Crabby's tone didn't change in the slightest. "Then you're getting ready to leave this place?" "No, that's not it. I just want to do something for Torto and everyone else who's helped me." Salad's voice kept getting fainter and fainter. "Yogurt told me that there are a lot of plants that grow on this mountain that can't be found anywhere else, so I'm going to go gather some and make some simple food for everybody." This was the conclusion that Salad had come up with after a great deal of thought. Using fruits and vegetables to prepare delicious and tasty good suited her interests, and it was also the only thing her Master Attendant had taught her. "If that's the case, sit down for a while and watch the peach blossoms with me. I don't have anyone to drink with." "But I have to..." "If you pick your fresh ingredients first thing in the morning they'll taste better." "Re...really? But I don't drink." Salad believed him, so she obediently sat down on the ground next to Crabby. "You really are such a pure child, you can't relax. Torto is just the same way." Crabby laughed and said, looking at Salad as she knelt down on the ground next to him, trembling like a scared rabbit. "Oh? Did I do something?" Salad asked nervously. "No, it's just that you're trying so hard to become who you want to be." Crabby responded. "Uh-huh." After that they sank into a long silence. They both looked up and watched the tiny peach blossoms under the moonlight. "The peach blossoms are lovely tonight." "Un-huh." Category:Food Soul Story